Thiruvananthapuram: Earlier it was the electricity bills, now it is water tax.
Customers have got exorbitant water tax bills amid the COVID pandemic. For many, the tax amount has more than doubled after the Water Authority decided to fix it on an average basis as it could not carry out the meter reading due to the pandemic.
The Water Authority is following the same methodology adopted by the KSEB for estimating water usage. Now, complaints are flooding the Water Authority's offices as the tax amount has increased substantially for many customers.
The Authority takes readings every two months. However, due to the COVID lockdown, it had suspended the reading on March 26 and resumed it only in the second week of June.
Last week, a resident of Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram got a bill for Rs 9,563. The Water Authority said the tax amount is for the period from January to September. The amount was early Rs 800 every two months (average consumption of 70–80 kilo litres). The bill received on September 26 has estimated the consumption to be 304 kilo litres of water, resulting in a tax of Rs 9,563.
In early March, he had received a bill calculated by taking into account the average usage as there was no meter reading and he had paid the amount. Now, the huge amount mentioned in the latest bill is over and above what he had paid then.
Similarly, a person who paid Rs 802 once in two months has got a bill of Rs 2,000 and another person who used to pay Rs 40 has got a bill of Rs 300.
Slabs changed as usage increased: Authority
The Water Authority has said the increase in the bill was due to higher domestic use of water during the lockdown. As reading was suspended for a few months, the latest bill has been calculated on the basis of the average of previous readings, it said.
There may be significant change in the amount to be paid as higher usage would mean customers’ bill slabs will also change. If there are any complaints, customers should contact the respective section offices for redressal, the authority said.
